Robotic Asteroid Prospector

A single M-type asteroid could contain billions of dollars worth of iron, nickel and platinum-group metals. That might explain why NASA gave Marc Cohen, one of the few researchers in the field of “space architecture,” $100,000 to figure out how to mine one. Ideally, an observatory in orbit around Venus would identify valuable M-type asteroids. Crews would then fly out from Earth’s orbit in commercial transports to deploy the robotic asteroid prospector, or RAP, which would use solar energy to power its pneumatic drill and high-heat processing equipment.